PepsiCo Launches New Snack

The Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) recently introduced a French fry-shaped potato snack under its popular brand Ruffles. The new product is called Ruffles Crispy Fries Potato Strips.

Sliced from real potatoes, Ruffles Crispy Fries Potato Strips are similar to traditional French fries. This new potato snack comes in two flavors: Original and Cheese Flavored. Ruffles Crispy Fries Potato Strips can be microwaved and perfectly complement hamburgers and hot dogs. Ruffles Crispy Fries Potato Strips comes in an 1-oz. bag with a suggested price of $1.09.

The introduction of Ruffles Crispy Fries Potato Strips comes at the right time with the National French Fry Day just around the corner on Jul 13. With changing consumer preferences, there is a huge demand for new snacking products with unique flavors.

Product innovation plays a huge role in the company’s success. PepsiCo regularly creates new flavors of existing products as well as maintains a robust pipeline of new products.

PepsiCo’s overall product portfolio includes 22 brands including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos and Quaker that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Though PepsiCo has the competitive advantage of selling both snacks and beverages, which are complementary food categories, the present product introduction is in line with the company’s long-term strategy to shift the business mix more toward snacks.